There will be no victory in the War on Terror in the Iraq War

Agree

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by Kelly Clark

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It has been very clear to me for quite some time that not only are we no longer winning the "War on Terror," we long ago lost it. I feel that this is a point that I cannot possibly emphasize strongly enough, and yet I recognize that for those who do not understand my point based solely on the title of this post, I could never possibly explain. I feel that it is likely futile to try again, but sometimes I just feel so overwhelmed with the power of my conviction that what we are doing is wrong that I have to try just one more time, and tonight is one of those times.

The War on Terror is lost. It was lost before we went to Iraq. It was lost before we went to Afghanistan. It was lost long before Shock and Awe, before anyone had ever heard the phrase "Stay the Course," before anyone thought to suggest that we "Cut and Run." The War on Terror was lost the day that it was decided that the War on Terror would be fought with missiles and guns and cluster bombs. Terrorism is not a country. Terrorism is not a dictator. Terrorism is not Osama Bin Laden. Terrorism is not an Iraqi villager or an Al Jahzeera broadcast tower or an oil field. Terrorism is an idea, a movement, with roots that sink deep below the surface of envelopes full of anthrax and suicide bombers. Dropping bombs on Iraq or Afghanistan or really, anywhere, will never put a stop to terrorism. It's like trying to kill those yucky little trees that grow up next to fences and building foundations by cutting them down. They may look like they are gone - but they will always grow back.

Terrorism exists, in a nutshell, because of repression. Any cognizant being that is forced to live in a manner that they feel is unsuitable, whether it be because they do not have the freedom to practice their fundamental religious beliefs or because they do not have the freedom to keep a pet bunny in their apartment, will eventually lash out at their oppressor. Islam is not the problem. I understand that that Koran contains many verses that reference Jihad. I understand that in today's society (at least in the United States) it is considered more or less socially acceptable to believe that Islam is a religion that is based and thrives upon acts of terrorism. What I do not understand is how it can be that so, so many people forget that many of the bloodiest terrorist actions in history were not perpetrated by Muslims, but Christians - who also believed wholeheartedly that they were acting in the name of God. I do not understand how the same people who feel that we are well within our rights to bomb metropolitan areas containing untold numbers of innocent citizens largely because they do not agree with their religious ideology are the same people that wage war within our courts to keep the ten commandments in public courthouses or use public funding to build religiously oriented monuments or pump our educational systems full of pseudo scientific theories like intelligent design-or, if we're being honest here-Creationism with a bow on it.

The Bush Regime would have us believe that we are winning the War on Terror because we have passed the five year mark without another major terrorist action on our soil-at least, not one perpetrated by a Muslim. How easy it is to forget that before September 11, we went for six years without a terrorist attack (perpetrated by a Muslim) without going to war. Without killing 83,000. Without spending $500 billion in tax dollars. Without lining the pockets of every corporate sleazebag at Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Blackwater, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and ExxonMobile.

We make the problem of terrorism worse with every day of our continued presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every time that another person is killed there are more grieving and angry friends and family members with a very personal reason to believe that the United States is The Great Satan. Every bomb we drop leaves another wounded city to stew in it's anger. Every minute of our occupation is one more indignation for the jihadist propaganda machine to point to as justification for suicide bombs, beheadings, roadside bombs, and torture of any American they can lay their hands on. In those eyes filled with tears, it is not our soldiers who are guilty, or the contractors trying to rebuild (at artificially inflated price paid by you and me) or the journalists looking to score a Pulitzer. It is all of us, attempting to cram our system of government, our religion, our corporate interests and our culture down their throats. The only way to fight terrorism is to stop poking the angry bear, mind our own business, and be watchful on our own soil. This may not seem as glorious or fun or strong as killing without mercy, torturing without restraint, and jailing without cause every damn Muslim we can get our hands on-but unlike these seemingly preferable methods, it might actually WORK and it would not cripple us economically or diplomatically in the process.

The War on Terror is lost. The War on Terrorism has cost us 4000 soldiers, $500,000,000 (over $165,000 for every person killed on 9/11,) our reputation as a nation throughout the world, and a great deal of integrity. It has created a sharp and contentious divide between the left and right of our political spectrum. It has turned us into a nation that lives its life in fear, paranoia, and hatred. The G-Dub Propaganda machine is spitting out speeches saying that if the Democrats win in our upcoming election we will lose the war on terror. My question is, considering all of these very tangible losses, how exactly are we winning now?

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